Cautious about the government’s efforts to safeguard the 2020 presidential race, election-security experts worry that the job is too formidable to finish in the time that remains. One issue at stake is outdated voting machines and technology, but Maurice Turner, a senior technologist with the Center for Democracy and Technology, warned that equipment updates require legislatures to make funding appropriations. With the first 2020 primaries scheduled for February, the process of issuing, receiving and evaluating proposals along can take months. After that comes testing and configuration, another months-long process, before the machines can be delivered on a large scale. “No election official wants to be rolling out new equipment 30 or 60 days before the general election,” Turner said in a phone interview, “so they’re going to need to identify other races, other contests they can test this equipment on.”
Turner likewise called it unlikely that Congress will coalesce around bills that would provide additional funds or authorizations to Homeland Security.
“I just think that it’s going to be a challenge to get something done at the federal level in time to have a meaningful impact on the 2020 general election,” Turner said.
Full Article: Security Experts Uneasy as US Barrels Into 2020 Election.